Apomorphic: Derived feature of a taxon, where “derived” means different from the ancestral condition.

Aramis: Site at which Ardipithecus ramidus was discovered.

Arborealism: Locomotion in the trees, usually on top of the tree branches, not to be confused with brachiation.

Ardipithecus ramidus: Early hominid from 4.4 to 4.1 myr ago. Recognized by Tim White and colleagues in 1994, East Africa.

Australopithecus afarensis: Early hominid from 4.0 to 2.9 myr ago. It was initially discovered at Laetoli around the 1930s, but was not recognized formally until 1978. Represented by famous partial fossil skeleton “Lucy.” East Africa.

Australopithecus africanus: Another early hominid from 2.6 to 2.0 myr ago. Discovered by Raymond Dart in 1924 at the site of Taung, South Africa.

Australopithecus anamensis: Early hominid from 4.2 to 3.7 myr ago. Recognized by Meave Leakey and colleagues in 1995.

Bipedalism: Mode of locomotion in which the body weight is supported on the two lower limbs.

Brachiation: Arboreal swinging beneath tree branches.

Australopithecine (vernacular), Australopithecus (formal): A zoological genus of early hominids ranging from 4.2 to 1.5 myr ago or 4.2 to 2.0 myr ago depending on classification.

Cladogram: A visual presentation that shows the anatomical or genetic proxmity between different taxa.

Contest competition: A form of competition over a limited resource where individuals actively engage in competitive behavior.

Estrus: A period of sexual receptivity in animals, usually advertised by swellings in the genital region and hyperactivity.

Fission-fusion system: A social structure where the group splits and aggregates depending on the circumstances.

Frugivory: Mainly subsisting on fruit.

Hominid (vernacular), Hominidae (formal): A zoological family consisting of humans and their close relatives. There are usually three agreed-upon genera within Hominidae: Ardipithecus, Australopithecus, and Homo. Some paleoanthropologists prefer to designate the above taxa as the sub-family Homininae, and assigning these and other African great apes in the family Hominidae.

Homo ergaster: An African hominid from 1.9 to 1.2 myr ago. This species designation is controversial, and some experts consider it African Homo erectus.

Intermembral index: Expressed as a percent comparing the length of the forelimb to the length of the hindlimb. It is 100% in apes and about 70% in humans.

Koobi Fora: Well-known fossil site in East Africa. It has turned up the famous skull KNM-ER 1470.

Micro-mammals: Bats, small rodents, etc. They are very good indicators of the paleo-environment because they rarely venture out of their original habitat.

Miocene: Geological epoch in the Tertiary period from 23.5 to 5.2 myr ago.

Monogamy: Male-female bonding system where there is only one mate to each individual.

Omnivory: Subsisting mainly on both meat and fruits/vegetables.

Plesiomorphic: Primitive feature of a taxon, where “primitive” means the same as the ancestral stock.

Pliocene: Geological epoch in the Tertiary period from 5.2 to 1.75 myr ago.

Polyandry: Male-female bonding system where there are multiple mates to one female.

Polygyny: Male-female bonding system where there are multiple mates to one male.

Quadrupedalism: Can either be terrestrial or arboreal. A mode of locomotion where the body weight is supported by all four limbs.

Scramble competition: Form of competition where individuals randomly utilize the resource, without direct confrontation, depriving other parties of it.

Sterkfontein: Well-known fossil site in South Africa that has yielded remains primarily of Australopithecus africanus.

Taung: Another well-known South African fossil site from which the first Australopithecus africanus specimen was extracted in 1924.

       

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